Semi-automatic wrapping-machine.



W. J. PAUL.

SEMI-AUTOMATIC WRAPPING MACHINE.`

' APPLICATION FILED JULY 22. 1913.

1,238,328, Patented AugQQs, 1917.

W. j. PAUL.

SEMI-AUTGMATIC WRAPPING MACHINE.

APPucATloN FILED JULY 22. 1913.

1,238,328. Pmtemg. 28,1917.

. a SHEETS-SHEET 2. F/ E..

W. I. PAUL.

SEMI-AUTOMATIC WRAPPING IVIIICHINE.`

APPLICATION FILED IULY 22 I9I3.

Patented Aug. 28, 1917.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

WILLIAM J'. PAUL, OF PITTSBURGH, PENNSYLVANIA.

SEMI-AUTOMATIC WRAPPING-MACHIN E.

Application led July 22, 1913.

To all whom t may concern:

Be it known that I, WiLLIAM J. PAUL, a citizen of the United States, and residing at Pittsburgh, in the county of Allegheny and tate of Pennsylvania, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Semi-Automatic rapping-hflachines, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to semi-automatic wrapping machines for wrapping tablets or like articles, that is, machines for such purpose in which the several devices for folding the wrapper about the tablet are caused to operate by the hand of the operator, to fold the wrapper more quickly and accurately than can be done by hand folding, and my invention has for its object to increase the output by so grouping the folding devices and the tablet and wrapper supply maga-zines that the wrapper and tablet may be quickly placed in position and the wrapper folded about the tablet and sealed with the fewest movements possible.

W' ith these and other objects hereinafter explained in view, my invention consists in the construction and combination of elements hereinafter described and claimed.

Referring to the drawings,

Figure 1 is a side elevation of a machine embodying my invention.

Fig. 2 is a top plan view of the same.

Figs. 3, 3b and 3C are views in perspective showing the successive steps in the operation of the first folder.

Figs. 42 and 4b are views in perspective showing successive steps in the operation of the second folder.

Fig. 5 is an enlarged detail section through the upper portion of the first folding device.

In the drawings, 1 is the top of a table or stand on which the machine is mounted. 2 is a magazine for holding the slips of paper which are to form the wrappers. 3 is a magazine for the tablets or other articles to be wrapped supported by bracket et. This magazine is open at its top to receive the articles to be wrapped and open at its lower end to permit the articles to be delivered one by one, the delivery being controlled by a depending lever 5.

Directly below the lower end of the magazine 3 is the first folding device 6. This comprises a plunger 7 corresponding in area with the area of the article to be wrapped Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Aug. 28, 1917,

serial No. 780,578.

carried by a rod S and is pressed upward by a spring 9 coiled around the rod S.

Journaled in suitable supports below and slightly outside the line of the front and rear edges of the plunger 7 are rods 10 and 11, each provided near its ends with bell cranks 12 and 13, these bell cranks being so located that they will be slightly outside the vertical planes of the ends of the plunger 7. The bell cranks 12 and 13 have respectively vertical arms 12 and 13 and horizontal arms 122 and 132. The plunger 7 is provided at each end with pins 14 and 15 so located that as the plunger is depressed, these pins will come in contact with the horizontal 122 and 132 of the bell cranks 12 and 13, respectively, and as the plunger continues its downward movement will cause the rods 10 and 11 to rock throwing the vertical arms 12 and 13 into horizontal position.

Below the plane of the rods 10 and 11 and at right angles to them, horizontal rods 16 and 17 are journaled in suitable bearings. These rods carry, respectively, bell cranks 18 and 19, each having vertical arms 18 and 19 and horizontal arms 182 and 192. These horizontal rods are so located that as the plunger 7 is depressed past the level of the rods 10 and 11, its ends will come in contact with the horizontal arms 182 and 192 and cause the rods 16 and 17 to rock and to throw the arms 13 and 19 inward into horizontal position.

In the Operation of the machine, the wrapper magazine 2 is supplied with a stack of wrappers cut to suitable size and the tablet magazine 3 is supplied with tablets or other articles to be wrapped. The operator sitting at the front of the table 1 reaches over and pulls a wrapper from the magazine 2 over onto the plunger 7 of the folding device and by operating the lever 5, releases the lowermost tablet so that it drops onto the wrapper lying on the plunger 7. By then pressing the tablet downward, of course, carrying the plunger with it, the plunger will come in contact with folding fingers which will fold the wrapper over the top of the tablet, upon further downward movement, the pins 14, 15 cause the bell cranks 12 and 13 to rock and turning their arms into horizontal position carrying with them the portions of the wrapper projecting beyond the ends of the plunger, thus folding these ends into the position shown in Fig.,`

3b. Further pressingdowmvard the tablet and plunger, the ends of the plunger' come in contact with the'arms 1S2 and 19r2 causing the bell cranks 18 and 1Q to swing land causing the arms 18 and 1.9/ to fold the already folded ends of the wrapper upward and inward over the ends of the tablet, as indicated in Fig. 3C. y

As clearly shown in Figs. 1 and 5, the first downward movement of the plunger 7 in the VErst folding device, brings the parts between folding fingers 50 located at either side of the plunger. The fingers 50 are in the form of bell crank levers so pivoted at 51 that the plunger in its downward movement will come in contact with the arms 53 thereof and cause arms to double the wrapper over and down on top of the tablet.

The initial depression of the tablet and plunger brings the portions extending beyond the front and rear edges of the plunger T against the upwardly extending arms 12 and 13 which causes these portions of the wrapper to be lirst folded into the position in which they are shown in Fig. 3, further depression, as above described, causes the formation of the folds, as shown in Fig. 3b; and still further depression by bringing the folded lends against the upright arms'lS and 19 causes these ends to be first folded upward and then as the bell cranks 18 and 19 are rocked, folds the ends of these folded ends inward leaving the package as shown in Fig. 8C.

After the first wrapper is folded about the tablet, as shown in Fig. 3C, the package is moved onto the second folding device 20. This is arranged in line with the first folding device and the wrapper magazine and comprises a pair of arms 21 and 22 pivoted at their rear ends at 23 to bracket arms 24 supported on the table 1, the arms 21 and 22 having in wardly bent broad flanges 25 at their upper edges. Then thepackage shown in Fig. 3c is moved onto this second folding device, it rest-s on anv outer wrapper previously placed on these flanges 25, as hereinafter described. Across the second folding device above the front ends of the arms 21. and 22 is a folder plate 26 carried by rearwardly extending arms 2T, the rear ends of which engage cams 2S on the inner face of the bracket arms 24, these cams being so formed that as the front ends of the arms 21, 22 are depressed, they will act on the ends of arms 27 to cause the folder plate 26 to slide inward to fold the front edge of the outer wrapper rearward over the package.

Extending across the rear ends of the flanges 25 is a second folder plate 29 having pivots 30 at its rear end which are 'j ournaled in the bracket arms 24, the journals being so located that whenthe arms 21,22, are in normal position, the plate 29 will extend upward and forward with suliicient space between its forward edge and the rear edge of plate 26 to receive the package.

The second wrappersI are contained in a magazinel at y,the left of the operator as he sits facing the front of table 1. At the rear edge of the top of magazine 31 is arranged a paste or glue fountain 32 having a wick 33 to applyadhesiveto the upper rear edge of the outer wrapper as it is drawn over to the second folding device.

Itwill be understood that before moving the package shown in Fig. 8c onto the second folding device, a wrapper first moved from the magazine 31 on to this second folding device, this second 4wrapper receiving adhesive along its rear edge as it is moved from the magazine. dien it is in place, the package is moved rfrom the first folding device onto this second wrapper and the package resting on this second wrapper which in turn rests on the flanges 25 of the arms 21, 22 is pressed downward swinging the arms on their pivots The first effect produced is the rearward movement of the folder plate 26 through the action of the cams 28 on the arms 27. This movement .of this folder plateturns the forward flap of the second wrapper rearward and downward onto the top of the package. As the arms 21,22, continue to swing downward, the rear folder plate 29 swings downward turning on its pivots 30 and folds the rear flap of the second folder forward and downward and brings the portion of this flap carrying the adhesive down onto the rear end of the front flap to form the complete package, as shown in Fig. 4b.

The package thus completed is slipped to the operators right, the arms 21, 22 being allowed to rise to permit the folder plate 26 and 29 to be withdrawn onto the top` of a storing chute 35 which has at its upper end pivoted dogs 36, 37 having their upper ends 3S cam-shaped so as to permit the completed package to be forced downward past lthem and to then swing inward to hold the package against upward movement. In this storage chute is a plunger 39 carried by a rod 40 which is pressed upward by a spring 41, thus pressing the packages firmly against the dogs 36, 37and holding them while the .ad` hesive is drying.

The magazine 2 has its sides inturned at their upper edges, as shown at 42, to hold the wrappers which, being, of course, cut to the proper size are pressed upward by plunger 43 carried by rod 44 in which is spring 45, the spring being properly proportioned tov hold the wrappers against the inturned edges 42, but to permit the uppermost wrapper to be readily drawnolf, the. magazine 31 has its front provided with inturned upper edgeA 46 and its outer side provided with vinturned upper edge 47. The outer wrapperscarried in this magazine are pressed upward against the inturned edges 46 and 47 by a plunger and spring similar to that used in magazine 2.

It will be noted that the top of the first folding device is considerably below the level of the top of magazine 2 and the top o-f the second folding device is considerably below the top of the first folding device, these three devices being arranged in line with the magazine 3l to the operators left. In use the operator with his right hand draws a first wrapper from the magazine onto the first folding device, releases a tablet from the tablet magazine, presses the tablet down causing the first wrapper to be folded about it, draws a second wrapper with the left hand from magazine 3l onto the top of the second folding device, draws the package onto it and presses down to fold the second wrapper about the package. With the right hand, he then moves the completed package to the right and presses it down into the storage chute The work can thus be done rapidly and with few movements of the hands of the operator.

It will, of course, be understood that I do not desire to be limited to the precise mechanism shown and described as it is obvious that many modifications particularly in the folding mechanisms may be made without departing from the spirit of the invention.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim is:

l. In a semi-automatic folding device, the combination of a magazine for wrappers, a first folding device in line with the magazine having its top lower than the top of the wrapper magazine, a tablet magazine arranged directly above the first folding device, means for releasing the lowermost tablet, and a second folding device in line with the first folding device and the magazine for wrappers having its top lower than the top of the first folding device.

2. In a semi-automatic folding device, the combination of a magazine for wrappers, a rst folding device in line with the magazine having its top lower than the top of the wrapper magazine, a tablet magazine arranged directly above the first folding device, means for releasing the lowermost tablet, a second folding device in line with the i'irst folding device and the magazine for wrappers having its top lower than the top of the first folding device, and a magazine for outer wrappers at one side of the second folding device.

3. In a semi-automatic folding machine, the combination of a magazine for wrappers, a first folding device in line with the magazine having its top lower than the top 0f the wrapper magazine, a tablet magazine ar ranged directly above the first folding device, means for releasing the lowermost tablet, a second folding device in line with the first folding device and the magazine for wrappers having its top lower than the top of the first folding device, a magazine for outer wrappers at one side of the second folding device, and a receiving chute on the opposite side of the second folding device.

4. In a semi-automatic folding machine, the combination of a magazine for wrappers, a first folding device in line with the magazine having its top lower than the top of the wrapper magazine, a tablet magazine arranged directly above the first folding device, means for releasing the lowermost tablet, said first folding device comprising a yieldingly supported plunger, and means operated by the movement of the plunger to fold the wrapper about the tablet.

5. In a semi-automatic folding machine, the combination of a magazine for wrappers, first folding device in line with the magazine having its top lower than the top of the wrapper magazine, a tablet magazine arranged directly above the first folding device, means for releasing the lowermost tablet, a second folding device in line with the first folding device and the magazine for wrappers having its top lower than the top of the rst folding device, said first and second folding devices each comprising a depressible element, and means operated by it for folding the wrapper about the tablet.

In testimony whereof I have aiiiXed my signature in presence of two witnesses.

WILLIAM J. PAUL.

Witnesses:

J. L. TREFALLER, Jr., EDWARD A. S. YOCHUM.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for ve cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents.

Washington, D. C. 

